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After 40 Years of Testing Porsches, These Are the 911 Models That Are the Most Memorable It’s hard to believe that four decades have passed since I first sat behind the wheel of a Porsche 911. The memory is still vivid: a pristine white 3.0-liter Carrera, riding on black Fuchs alloys. It was a purist’s dream—no rear wing, no power steering, and a five-speed manual transmission. At the time, I was testing it alongside a 944 Turbo, which in Australia cost almost the same. The 944 had more power, more torque, and handled any road better than the 911, but something about that iconic silhouette drew me in. Even then, I knew the 911 was different. “After two days and 600 miles,” I wrote, “I’m certain. I know the 944 Turbo is the better car. But I also know that if it came to the crunch, that if it were me agonizing over how to spend my money, I’d take the 911 Carrera home.” The decision wasn’t easy. I praised the 944 for its accessibility—its soaring, searing performance was superbly counterbalanced by a chassis of astounding ability. But the 911 tugged at the emotions. “The gloriously imperfect 911 Carrera is a sports car of a different age and reflects different values. It’s not tailored to meet the needs of most drivers. It demands understanding and respect. That’s why I’d take it home.” Since then, I’ve driven dozens of 911s. With every iteration, except for the 964 in the early 1990s which felt like the 911 idea was losing its spark, I’ve marveled at how Porsche has polished its icon. Keeping it relevant, exciting, and engaging. Four decades later, it remains one of the few new cars I would spend my own hard-earned money on. Of all the 911s I’ve driven, here are five that have left an indelible mark. The Original 911 Turbo When I first tested the 3.0-liter Carrera, veteran road-test journalists spoke of the original Porsche 911 Turbo in awed tones. They warned it demanded the utmost respect when driven with intent. The 911 Turbo didn’t forgive mistakes. It was, they said, a widowmaker. It took me 35 years to finally get behind the wheel of an original 911 Turbo and see for myself. The car I drove was one of the first 30 production Turbos ever built, now part of Porsche’s impressive classic fleet. Aware of its legendary reputation, I drove cautiously at first, easing into the throttle, feeling the turbocharger’s 0.8-bar boost, and watching the tachometer. The engine was surprisingly docile at low revs, chugging along at 45 mph in top gear. But once the revs hit 3,500, the 911 Turbo surged forward with a satisfying acceleration kick. I expected a sledgehammer blow between the shoulder blades, but it never materialized. The trick to smooth, fast driving in the original 911 Turbo is keeping the 3.0-liter flat-six spinning above 4,000 rpm. The turbo lag is noticeable by modern standards, but it’s manageable. Even over 50 years old, this 911 is an impressively fast road car. First gear tops out at 50 mph, second at 90 mph, and third at almost 130 mph. This means you can destroy most winding roads using only second and third gears. And while it has “only” 256 hp, it weighs just 2,513 pounds, allowing it to dance through corners effortlessly. Half a century ago, its performance was otherworldly. 993-Generation Porsche 911 For Porsche purists, the 993 is the last of the line—the last “real” 911. This is the car you drive with your knuckles grazing the dash and the snarling metallic clatter of an air-cooled flat-six behind you. But back in 1994, the 993 was the future. It was the first 911 to seriously challenge the laws of physics. Sure, it still had that iconic front end that demanded to be loaded on corner entry to hit the apex, and the rear end still rhumbaed through rougher turns, but the front and rear communicated much better. The 993 still felt like a 911, but within a much safer margin. The real star was the new rear suspension. Porsche replaced the old semi-trailing arms with a new multilink setup. This allowed very slight initial toe-out on corner entry, which then transitioned to progressive toe-in as lateral loads increased. The result was a massive reduction in the camber change that had been the Achilles’ heel of 911s since 1963. This was coupled with a new six-speed manual transmission and a much quicker steering rack—2.5 turns lock-to-lock, 16% faster than before. The 3.6-liter flat-six felt livelier, thanks to lighter internals and a Bosch Motronic 2.0 engine management system. Compared to the 964 it replaced, the 993 was a revelation. Engineered under Ulrich Bez (later Aston Martin’s head), and redesigned by Harm Lagaay (who thought the 964 was too tall at the front and too low at the rear), the 993 was faster, more forgiving, and significantly more desirable. 996-Generation Porsche 911 When Porsche unveiled the 996 in 1998, it was heresy. Installing a water-cooled flat-six in the tail of the 911 was like Bob Dylan trading his acoustic guitar for a Fender Strat at the Newport Folk Festival. But the 996, the first clean-sheet redesign of Porsche’s iconic sports car in 34 years, was a hero car to me. It saved Porsche. Engineered under Horst Marchart, the 996 was brilliant because it shared 38% of its parts with an all-new mid-engine roadster the world would soon know as the Boxster. The late, great Wendelin Weideking knew the Boxster was essential to keep Porsche’s dealerships busy after the 928 and 968 went out of production. “We did two cars for the price of one-and-a-half,” design boss Lagaay famously quipped after the unveiling. But while everyone focused on the water-cooled engine and the Boxster connection, the 996’s real genius lay deeper. In 1994, a 993 took 130 hours to build. The 996 took just 60 hours. The modern 911 had arrived. It was roomier, equipped with the features expected of a late 20th-century sports car, and still instantly recognizable as a 911. Most importantly, it still drove like a 911. Only better. Yes, it had a new layer of sophistication, but the 996 retained the delicious tactility and urgent response that made the 911 unique. Alongside the original Boxster, it saved Porsche from extinction. 991.2-Generation Porsche 911 Carrera Of all the 911s I’ve driven, it was the base 991.2 Carrera that truly stole my heart. The feedback I got from colleagues confirmed it wasn’t just me. Most press fleets are stacked with high-spec cars loaded with options—automotive PRs assume we’re impressed by such things. So when Porsche Cars North America included a base 911 Carrera in the 2017 MotorTrend Car of the Year test lineup, it felt like a brave move. In reality, it was genius. The 991.2 introduced a new 3.4-liter turbocharged engine, producing 370 hp in the base model or 420 hp in the Carrera S. Even in base trim, it delivered a broad torque band and impressive efficiency. This Carrera proved that even on standard wheels and tires, the chassis was staggeringly communicative and adjustable. Visually, the 991.2 was a subtle refresh of the larger, beautifully proportioned 991.1—a superb execution of classic 911 themes, modern and beautiful. The interior featured a new infotainment system that looked great and worked well. Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch automatic is still the benchmark for smooth, precise shifts. But the seven-speed manual on the no-frills Carrera was delightful—an oily, rifle-bolt action that made us all fall in love with driving again. MotorTrend’s testing director at the time, Kim Reynolds, spoke for all the COTY judges: “When all cars but one are autonomous, please let this be it, the last human-driven car. For posterity’s sake.” It’s been nearly a decade since I drove it, but I vividly remember it: Guards Red over black, with just one option, red seat belts. Every so often, I scour the ads, looking